Tim, our man on the spot, has the pleasure of watching the meatiest section of the Dakar Rally’s stage two alongside fans with an appetite for top-drawer action.
Once again, Argentinean race fans came out in their hoards, this time from Córdoba and nearby towns, and booked their ringside seats for the day’s action.
As finely-tuned machines brought the noise to the normally sleepy Sierras Pampeanas, there was a crackle in the air, even between each vehicle passing.
The main pursuit among the onlookers, besides catching a glimpse of their heroes in action, was building barbeques. The self-made grills may look stunningly simple to the untrained eye, but there are years of gaucho blood needed to construct the perfect outdoor cooker.
As well as the common family favourites of sausage sandwiches and top-drawer steaks, there was also a whole lamb being cooked by one family. The man responsible for the coals burning under that tasty treat was Carlitos Fernandez.
“We came out last night to set up camp so we could get a good look at the action. The Dakar is the biggest sporting event to come to Argentina since we had the [soccer] World Cup in 1978.”
“We do a barbeque every Sunday as a family, but as we are watching the race today I wanted some special meat. That’s why we are having lamb – my father is in charge of it, so I hope it doesn’t make us all ill. I’m just looking after the steaks and the fernet.”
With Carlitos supping back the fernet and cola, the rest of his family were sticking to locally-produced red wine. By about four in the afternoon, the Fernandez clan and the rest of the crowd were at fever pitch as Nasser Al-Attiyah came past in his Red Bull Volkswagen.
“Everybody is here to see the cars, but let’s not forget about the Partronelli brothers, who are leading in the quads – vamos Argentina!” At least, I think that’s what Carlitos said – at the time, Robby Gordon was roaring past us in his Hummer…
Daily Dakar Daiquiri Moment: Slippery when wet 
KTM Images
Martin Freinademetz (pictured, left) knows all about tricky terrain and how to survive it. This knowledge came in very handy yesterday as he moved up the field on his KTM during a perilous stage two.
However, the Red Bull Romaniacs founder was caught out during the run from Córdoba to La Rioja by the kind of pitfall that would not even be considered an obstacle in his own Enduro challenge.
Who better than to talk you through the incident than Martin himself?
“I fell into a slippery ditch in front of 200 spectators. Falling off my bike seemed to make them all very happy. It was a stupid accident, but these things happen. I was fine through all the difficult sections but it was a damned ditch that tripped me up.”
Aside from that moment of embarrassment, Martin dusted himself down and made some good progress on day two. The upcoming open terrain should suit his KTM engine so there is no reason why number 110 can’t pick up more places as the Dakar crosses The Andes.
Keep up with all the Dakar news at www.dakar.com and check out all the updates from the Dakar Diary at Red Bull.
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